Scott Spradling sits down with Josh McElveen to discuss the big moments from Saturday's GOP debate.

Scott Spradling sits down with Josh McElveen to discuss the big moments from Saturday's GOP debate.

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Updated: 11:41 AM EST Feb 7, 2016

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WEBVTT ESE NUMBERS IN A LITTLE WHILE LONGER. THINGS VERY MUCH, ANDY. LET'S TALK ABOUT THE REPUBLICAN DEBATE YOU SAW A RIGHT HERE ON WMUR. IT STARTED WITH A HEATED EXCHANGE BETWEEN GOVERNOR CHRIS CHRISTIE AND SENATOR MARCO RUBIO. SENATOR RUBIO: LET'S DISPEL THIS FICTION THAT BARACK OBAMA DOES NOT KNOW WHAT HE IS DOING. HE KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT HE'S DOING. HE WANTS AMERICA TO BECOME MORE LIKE THE REST OF THE WORLD. WE DO NOT WANT TO BE LIKE THE REST OF THE WORLD. WE WANT TO BE LIKE THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. AND WHEN I AM A PRESIDENT, IT WILL LEAVE THE SINGLE GREATEST NATION IN THE WORLD. >> WE WANT TO BRING IN GOVERNOR BUSH -- GOVERNOR CHRISTIE: EXCUSE ME -- HE DIRECTLY MENTIONED ME, SO I THINK I GET A CHANCE TO RESPOND. YOU SEE, EVERYBODY, I WANT EVERYONE TO THINK AT HOME ABOUT THIS. THAT IS WHAT WASHINGTON, D.C. DOES -- THE DRIVE-BY SHOT AT THE BEGINNING AND THE MEMORIZED 25- SECOND SPEECH THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT HIS ADVISERS TOLD HIM -- [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE] GOVERNOR CHRISTIE: YOU SEE, MARCO, THE THING IS THIS -- WHEN YOU ARE PRESIDENT, WHEN YOUR GOVERNOR OF A STATE, WHEN YOU MEMORIZE A 32ND SPEECH THAT -- A -SECOND SPEECH, IT DOES NOT HELP ANYONE. NONE OF THAT STUFF HAPPENS ON THE FLOOR OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE. IT'S A FINE JOB. I'M GLAD YOU RAN FOR, BUT IT DOES NOT PREPARE YOU FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. [APPLAUSE] SENATOR RUBIO: CHRIS, YOUR STATE GOT HIT BY A MASSIVE SNOWSTORM TWO WEEKS AGO. YOU DID NOT EVEN WANT TO GO BACK. THEY HAD TO SHAME YOU INTO GOING BACK. JOSH: ALL RIGHT, WE ARE JOINED BY OUR POLITICAL ANALYST. HI. WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THAT EXCHANGE IN PARTICULAR. IF THERE WAS A MOMENT WHERE ONE CANDIDATE TOOK ANOTHER CANDIDATE UP, THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN IT. >> THAT IS THE MOMENT THAT CHRIS CHRISTIE ONE. HE TURNED IT INTO A REFERENDUM ON THE IMPORTANCE OF EXPERIENCE IN OFFICE AND HAVING BOOTS ON THE GROUND AND TAKING RESPONSIBILITY. THAT HAS BEEN THE ACHILLES HEEL FOR MARCO RUBIO AND IT WAS REALLY EXPOSED LAST NIGHT. JOSH: MARCO RUBIO HAD TO KNOW THAT HE WOULD BE A TARGET IN ONE SHAPE OR FORM. HOW DO YOU THINK HE RESPONDED? SCOTT: HE WAS EITHER CLEARLY TOLD BY HIS TEAM OR DECIDED TO PIVOT ON EVERY ATTACK AND MAKE IT AN ATTACK ON PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA. THAT FELL FLAT. IT MAY WORK ONCE, BUT IT MADE IT LOOK LIKE HE HAD NO ANSWERS. JOSH: HE WAS CRITICIZED FOR REPEATING HIS ANSWER AND HE BASICALLY SAID THE SAME THING AGAIN. DID HE PLAY INTO THE HANDS OF PEOPLE SAYING YOU ARE NOT READY FOR THIS? SCOTT: DEFINITELY. YOU SEE CHRIS CHRISTIE SAYING, WE DO NOT ANOTHER FRESHMAN SENATOR BARACK OBAMA THING AS REPUBLICANS AND IS PLAYED RIGHT INTO THAT NARRATIVE. MY PREDECESSOR HERE, ANDY SMITH, WHO WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT NUMBERS, I FEEL BAD FOR HIM TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW THIS WILL COME OUT. WITH SOMETHING THE SIGNIFICANT, THE FEW THOUSAND VOTES WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE. JOSH: I WANT TO POINT OUT THAT THIS MAY BE EVEN MORE GLARING BECAUSE MARCO RUBIO HAS HAD SUCH GOOD DEBATE PERFORMANCES IN THE PAST. WE ASKED THE CANDIDATES ABOUT IMMINENT DOMAIN. >> WE BRING HYDROELECTRIC POWER IN FROM THE NORTHEASTERN GRID. DCM THE DOMAIN AS -- DO YOU SEE EMINENT DOMAIN AS A WAY TO GET THAT DONE? MR. TRUMP: I LOVE IT. EMINENT DOMAIN IS A WAY TO GET THAT DONE. GOVERNOR BUSH: THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EMINENT DOMAIN FOR PUBLIC PURPOSE -- THAT'S A PUBLIC SERVICE, BUT WHAT DONALD TRUMP DID WAS USE EMINENT DOMAIN TO TRY TO TAKE THE PROPERTY OF AN ELDERLY WOMAN IN ATLANTIC CITY. THAT IS NOT PUBLIC PURPOSE. MR. TRUMP: HE WANTS TO BE A TOUGH GUY. [LAUGHTER] MR. TRUMP: AND IT DOESN'T WORK VERY WELL. GOVERNOR BUSH: HOW TOUGH IS IT TO TAKE PROPERTY FROM AN ELDERLY WOMAN? JOSH: ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS THERE, AS DONALD TRUMP AND JEB BUSH HAVE MIXED IT UP BEFORE, BUT YOU THINK THIS IS AN IMPORTANT EXCHANGE? SCOTT: JEB BUSH DID WELL. HE SHOWED THAT I'M NOT GOING TO BACK DOWN MENTALITY. HE BACKED IT UP WITH A POWERFUL PUNCH TO THE NEW JERSEY CASINO OWNER. BUT YOUR QUESTION ABOUT EMINENT DOMAIN AND NORTHERN PASS -- KUDOS FOR EDUCATING THE NATION ON EMINENT DOMAIN. WE SAW THE GOOGLE SEARCHES. THAT WAS GOOD. BUT NUMBER TWO, THIS WAS AN ISSUE THAT GETS PEOPLE FIRED UP. WE KNOW THE EMINENT DOMAIN AND NORTHERN PASS ARE NOT PART OF IT. HE TOOK THE BAIT. THAT IS A LOCAL ISSUE THAT COULD HAVE A WEIRD EXTRACT OR FOUR PEOPLE IN -- A WEIRD X FACTOR FOR PEOPLE DO NOT LIKE THESE ENERGY PROJECTS. JOSH: WHEN HE PUT UP HIS HAND -- I THINK NEW HAMPSHIRE VOTERS REACTED DIFFERENTLY TO DONALD TRUMP THAN IN THE PAST. SCOTT: COMPLETELY. HE DID NOT HAVE A CHEERING SECTION THAT NIGHT. IT WAS VERY CLEAR THE GOVERNORS HAD A GOOD NIGHT AND JEB BUSH WAS HAVING A GOOD NIGHT AND HE FOUGHT BACK ADMIRABLY. JOSH: JOHN KASICH HAD SOME MOMENTS, NO QUESTION ABOUT THAT. SCOTT: HIS BEST MOMENT WAS LAYING OUT THE 100-DAY STRATEGY, PROMISING PEOPLE THAT HE COULD DELIVER. THAT HAS BEEN HIS RECORD AS AN OHIO GOVERNOR. HIS BEST DECISION WAS ONE THAT BEHIND THE SCENES WAS PERFECT. HE AND HIS CAMPAIGN COORDINATED GETTING ON THE WMUR SET TO LEAD THE NEWS TO TALK ABOUT THE DEBATE. THAT WAS A MASTERSTROKE IN A REALLY GOOD IDEA TO JUST PUSH THE MINDS TOWARDS HIM. JOSH: FIRST-COME, FIRST SERVE, I WILL POINT OUT. IS THERE ANY MEMO FOR THE CANDIDATES? DO NOT ACCUSE TED CRUZ OF BEING BOUGHT AND PAID FOR? SCOTT: DEFINITELY. WE ARE SEEING A TREND WROTE DOWN A LITTLE BIT FOR DONALD TRUMP. CAN HE STAY ABOVE WATER? AGAIN, ALL DUE RESPECT TO ANDY SMITH, IT IS SO HARD TO FIGURE OUT THE EXACT NUMBERS WITH A BIG FIELD AND A DEBATE LIKE THIS THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN THE MINDS OF THE UNDECIDED VOTERS.

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CloseUP: Scott Spradling reacts to GOP debate

Scott Spradling sits down with Josh McElveen to discuss the big moments from Saturday's GOP debate.